Guard Joshua Garnett and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas are still highly regarded, at least in the eyes of general manager John Lynch.

But they’ve been afterthoughts as the 49ers have snowballed to a 1-9 start, especially Garnett, a 2016 first-round draft pick who’s spending this season on injured reserve to rehabilitate a knee injury and reshape is body.

Thomas, as the No. 3 overall pick this year, has been almost just as tough to analyze. That’s mainly because the injury-laden 49ers haven’t been able to use him in their ideal manner: as an interior pass-rusher who should overrun guards.

A knee injury sidelined Thomas the past two games, but he might return Sunday when the 49ers come off their bye to host the Seattle Seahawks. Thomas has two sacks, and his 26 tackles are the team’s 12th-most this season.

“I challenge anyone to say he hasn’t played extremely well,” Lynch said Tuesday. “He’s been a very solid player. It will only get better. Part of our vision for where he was going to excel was in the sub package, in the nickel stuff as an inside rusher.

“We aren’t in a complete process there so we’ve to generate pass rush more, so that has taken away from his ability to line up on a guard and go to work on him. As we add pieces, he’ll get only better. I’m really extremely positive on his future for a long, long time for us.”

Lynch said Thomas’ injury-induced hiatus “almost came at a good time” because he saw Thomas showing signs of fatigue from a heavy workload.

“I overthink sometimes,” Thomas told the Sacramento Bee. “Just trying to adjust to this scheme. You know, I haven’t really played on the edge much my whole career. So adjusting to that and to moving inside during games.

“I’m adjusting to it all. It’s taken me longer than I expected, but I’m working hard to make sure I fix some things and become the best player I can be out there.”

Thomas was taken after the Cleveland Browns took pass rusher Myles Garrett (four sacks in five games after an injury-delayed start) and the Chicago Bears traded up with the 49ers to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (2-4 since becoming their starter). Other rookies off to solid starts: cornerback Marshon Lattimore (Saints), safety Jamal Adams (Jets), running backs Kareem Hunt (Chiefs) and Leonard Fournette (Jaguars), and, pass rushers T.J. Watt (Steelers) and Derek Barnett (Eagles).

“I’ve been very, very pleased with Solomon,” Lynch added. “Some people are saying, ‘Hey, the No. 3 pick should be perhaps a little more dynamic.’ But his play has been solid. We knew it would be a process. He’s a young kid and physically will grow in stature.”

Speaking of physical growth, that is what the 49ers challenged Garnett to do in this medical-redshirt season. He was lining up as their starting left guard a week into training camp before requiring minor surgery.

When Garnett returns next year, he figures to compete for that starting spot which at first was held by Zane Beadles this season before he gave way to Laken Tomlinson.

“We took a long-term view with Josh,” Lynch said. “It could have been something where we put him on designated to return (from injured reserve). But we said let’s give the guy an opportunity to really get this thing right. We felt it would have been rushing it, given the information we had. We said this guy is not just a first-round pick but somebody we watched and feel could be a nice fit with what we do.”

Joshua Garnett celebrates a 49ers touchdown in last season’s finale against the Seattle Seahawks. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

But Garnett (6–foot-5, 321 pounds) has to change himself to make that fit work.

“He’s working his tail off. He’s done a great job changing his body composition,” Lynch said. “We took a real holistic look – I challenged everybody on our medical, strength, conditioning, to our functional performance, to our nutrition – and we challenged Josh. ‘We want to do this and here’s why. We also want you to use this as an opportunity to really improve yourself in every aspect.’

“We’re going to try to use that as a model for anybody in a situation like him, and it’s working really well.”

Those endorsements, of course, were coming from a fellow Stanford man, one who attended last Saturday’s Big Game with his son, Jake, a linebacker being recruited by his dad’s alma mater. But Lynch spoke highly about any player brought up Tuesday in a 40-minute media session. If two linemen can live up to their projections, Lynch and the 49ers will have more good things to say in 2018 and beyond.